Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday ruled out the possibility of a direct meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“There is no truth to reports of a meeting with Netanyahu. I am not considering it, and I will not respond to it as long as the Israeli attacks against Lebanese citizens and violations in their territory continue," Aoun told the Lebanese An-Nahar newspaper.
He further stressed, “If we were to find ourselves in the same room, I would immediately leave."
Despite agreeing to hold talks with Israel, the Lebanese President has repeatedly rejected the idea of a face-to-face meeting with Netanyahu, as floated by US President Donald Trump.
Aoun has made clear that a high-level summit with Netanyahu is currently out of the question, stressing that the cessation of hostilities must be the primary focus before any direct political engagement can be considered.
His statement follows a US-brokered framework agreement signed by Israel and Lebanon. The deal outlines a multi-stage Israeli military withdrawal from Lebanese territory, commencing with two pilot zones that have not been publicly named.
The agreement has come under fire from opponents of Aoun, and particularly the Hezbollah terrorist organization which has a strong political presence in Lebanon in addition to its armed terrorist wing.
Hezbollah has refused to disarm, as stipulated in the agreement, and declared that "Without Hezbollah, nothing will pass."
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem strongly condemned the framework agreement, describing it as a "humiliating and disgraceful" deal that, he claimed, amounts to a surrender of Lebanon's sovereignty.
Aoun recently defended the framework agreement, asserting that it is the sole pragmatic path to avoid armed combat.